It is a scientifically proven winter malady, seasonal affective disorder. What this means, and it’s got nothing to do with sunlight, is that the weather outside is crap so stuck in during the day being nagged to do those “things” that have been put off forever, so you sit on your computer taking it out on others who are, effectively anonymous. Maybe …

Whilst that above could be true, personal opinion only, there are discussions where people put forward opinion on topics and that can get heated when someone either corrects an error with facts which upsets or just voices a personal feeling different to others.

There are also threads asking for assistance which some feel they should post on even though they don’t know what they are talking about and it would be far simpler and more pleasant if they just kept quiet.

I’ve not really thought about it until you mentioned it. When I think about the members I tend not to interact with they are generally male and when there is a bit of argy-bargy then it’s often between men but there are some women who like to get stuck in as well (including me on very rare occasions). Whether it’s a male trait is probably not a question I want to answer because we know what happens if there is a difference of opinion!!!

Isn’t the classic saying that oysters need a bit of grit to make pearls? While I agree that there’s never a place for rudeness or making negative personal comments, if there are never any differences of opinion then doesn’t it all become rather bland?

There has to be a bit of give & take, as well as a bit of an appreciation that sometimes written comments read more harshly than intended and are best ignored…

(personally I blame reading too many depressing Brexit stories for making me grumpy, I should ignore those too…)

So true, not that I am suggesting women talk a lot more, Oh no
I think a lot of the problem is being able to describe the problem, topic, issue correctly so people get the right end of the subject quickly. many times it has taken 3-5 postings before the OP describes what they really mean. Mind you it takes about 7 posts to get the first abrasive one I have noted. being a good writer is not that easy and takes practice.

It’s very difficult to express a ‘different’ or ‘challenging’ opinion to the norm in any environment - online it is even harder! Believe me - I know . I think the sudden influx of members from the dying (and shortly to close) FE forum has had an effect.

Hand on heart I find it very difficult not to rise to the bait and sometimes, I get it all wrong - mostly out of frustration. Sometimes though, I feel I’m being specifically goaded into a reaction - but that may just be my own paranoia As someone said to me recently - it’s not all about you Simon…

For sure, the weather has got something to do with it - we’ve just endured 17 days of rain down in the deep South. But, low and behold, the sun came out today and the forecast is pretty damn nice for the next few days - so all’s good. Time for a break from SFN me thinks… - A+

Before you hide yourself away… did you see my “biker’s gear” in James’ thread… People in the 60’s… can’t believe I actually found a photo of more or less the outfit I wore … along with the hat and my knee-high boots, I thought I was the bees-knees…

sold the bike when the Crash Helmet Law came into force early 70’s… wasn’t going to let that ruin a good hair style…

A lot of very different people who came from different life styles, different
thoughts and ideas, a little sarcasm here and there and friction develops.
So talk about the weather and the price of frozen chips and everything should be ok.
Hopefully.